Exercise, diet and behavior can build mental fitness

Getting fit is more than just trimming the waist, toning the biceps and strengthening the heart and lungs. It’s also about building brain power.

“Many of the things that we now know to be associated with heart health and general fitness are also associated with keeping the brain healthy,” says Michael Kabat, neuropsychologist at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla. “If you smoke, eat a high-fat diet, are inactive and live a lifestyle that promotes vascular disease, you’re not just at risk for heart disease. These things also impact brain function.”

Doing things that challenge the brain, like learning to play the guitar, have been shown to help form new connections between different parts of the brain and repair some that are damaged. Scientists believe if the brain builds up a reserve of strength, it may be able to extend mental fitness longer and stave off memory loss.

When it comes to brain fitness, “it’s never too early or too late to start,” said Dr. Ipsid Vahia, a psychiatrist at the Stein Institute for Research on Aging at the University of California San Diego Medical Center.

The following tips may help you pump up your brain:

Socialization

Staying socially connected may help stimulate the mind and boost our mood, both important in keeping the brain vital.

“Being socially involved and actively engaged in relationships is important for brain health. We’re social animals. By socializing, we learn about other people, we learn from people, and we teach people,” said Geoff Twitchell, lead clinical psychologist for the senior intensive outpatient program at Sharp Grossmont Hospital.

People with strong personal and social support systems are also less likely to be depressed.

“Socialization helps us maintain a good mood, which is important, because when we’re depressed, it impacts brain memory and concentration components,” he added.

Twitchell recommends volunteering or just getting together with like-minded people.

“If you’re a runner, connect with other runners. If you’re a reader, then join a book club. If you play chess, look for other players,” he said. “Being socially engaged can take many forms. The idea is simply to be engaged in your life.”

Physical exercise

One of the most important things people can do at any age to make their brains healthier is to “minimize the time you’re physically sedentary and intellectually sedentary,” Vahia said. “It’s presumed that the reason aerobic exercise works (to benefit the brain) is because it increases oxygenation and blood flow to the brain. In general, people with greater physical fitness tend to have greater brain fitness.”

Instead of playing online “brain games,” people may be better off working up a sweat. Some studies show that physical activity can spark new connections between neurons and produce new brain cells.

It’s also believed that aerobic exercise builds heart and artery resilience, which boosts blood flow to the brain.

Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine tested the effects of aerobic training in a clinical trial with men and women diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. Some of the volunteers began an intense program of aerobic exercise, spending 45 to 60 minutes on a treadmill or stationary bike four days a week.

The others spent the same amount of time performing nonaerobic stretching and balance exercises. After six months, the aerobic exercise group showed significant gains in mental agility, while the nonaerobic group showed continuing declines in tests of thinking speed, word fluency and ability to multitask.

Exercise and diet help with weight control, which is also important for brain fitness. Brains of older individuals who were obese had approximately 8 percent less brain volume than subjects of normal weight, according to research at UCLA School of Medicine. Scientists believe this is due in part to the fact that with added pounds, fat gets deposited in the brain and narrows blood vessels that deliver fuel. Over the long term, this may cause brain cells to die and vital connections and volume to be lost.

Diet

A brain-healthy diet is one that also reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Like the heart, the brain needs the right balance of nutrients, including protein and sugar, to function efficiently. Studies have shown that a high intake of saturated fat and cholesterol clogs the arteries and is associated with higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

Research published earlier this year in the Archives of Neurology suggested that a Mediterranean diet appears to be protective against Alzheimer’s.

Eating certain foods appears to help protect brain cells. These foods include dark-skinned fruits and vegetables such as kale, spinach, beets, red bell pepper and eggplant. Fruits such as blueberries, blackberries, plums, red grapes and cherries are recommended. And cold-water fish, which contain beneficial omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, halibut, mackerel and trout, are also good for the brain.

Mental stimulation

When it comes to the brain, you’ve got to use it or lose it.

“People who continue to remain mentally stimulated and use the brain much like you would work any muscle, will retain (mental) function over time,” Twitchell said.

A study published recently in the journal Nature suggests that computer “brain games” designed to improve cognitive skills don’t live up to their claims.

While brain twisters and crossword puzzles aren’t harmful and may help keep the brain from being stagnant, a more effective brain fitness tool is new learning.

“Learning something new at any age has benefits. Instead of the (brain) games, learn a new language, study theater, take a writing course, all of these can (prevent) you from being intellectually sedentary,” Vahia said.

The more education one has also seems to help protect the brain and keep it in better shape.

“Even with dementia, people with more education tend to develop it later,” Vahia said. “Nobody is exactly sure why, but what we see is that having a higher level of intellectual stimulation can have long-term benefits as you grow older.”

Some scientists believe that the brain’s ability to reorganize pathways with new information or experiences means it’s regularly changing. By challenging the brain, we may be able to generate new brain cells. Education and a stimulating work life when we’re young may help ward off dementia later, perhaps by building a cognitive reserve so small losses in function aren’t as noticeable.

Stress management

Stress, anxiety and depression, even when the symptoms are not severe, “can have a significant impact on a person’s health and well being, including brain health,” Vahia said. “We know that stress reduction and management has positive benefits to the brain and positively impacts physical health.”

The biochemicals released when you’re stressed or depressed “negatively impact the memory areas of the brain,” Twitchell said. “When you’re depressed, everything seems to slow down and come to a halt, including the brain and memory.”

Deep breathing, yoga, meditation or prayer are helpful in calming the body and the mind. Physical exercise is a great way to work off stress. Mindfulness, or focusing on the present, can also help minimize stress and depression.

“We often tend to live in the past, which can cause depression. Or, we focus too much on the future and are constantly racing toward something (which can cause stress and anxiety),” Twitchell said. “Instead, we need to concentrate on the present and enjoy the journey.”